Process of removing finish.



J.- M. WILSON.

moms 0F REMOVING FINISH. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 19, 1-909.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

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4,0 to localize t the paint and varnish remover thereh JOHN H. WILSON, F MONTGLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF REMOVING FINISH.

Specification of- Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

, Application filed May 19, 1909. Serial No. 496,920.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Jon): M. VVILso v, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Removing Finish, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to an improvement in processes of removing dried films of paint and varnish, wherein non-alkaline, filmforming compositions, containing volatile paint and varnish solvents, are preferably employed to dissolve the said films primarily,

and thereby render them susceptible of being readily removed pneumatically, as hereinafter described. u

Heretofore, many paint and varnish re.- movers of the film-forming type have consisted of volatile aintand varnish solvents containing "-consi erable quantities of wax in suspension therein and these removers, upon exposure to the air, immediately formed a thick, superficial film, consisting chiefly of wax, which film was substantially i'mpervi ous to the va ors of the alcoholic solvent employed to I issolve the paint or varnish -treated. I

The objects of this invention are to secure an efficient removal ofthe dissolved paint and varnish, which usually consists of a ciscous magma, especially in those instances wherein the originalremover contains but a minimum amount of wax, and thereby accomplish the further objects of reducing the time and labor cost'of the removal of, the paint and "varnish, Furthermore, this process is admirably adapted for interior application, in that it ena les one e application of and removal of eliminating the usual objection with regar s the spattering of the remover, and its action upon surfaces and objects, which is not only i 45.. often objectionable, but in manycases decidedly injurious, The removal of the remover from crevices'and interstices is also an' important feature of this process, when employed in the interior of cars, buildings,

9 &c., as not'only isone enabled to completely remove all traees of theremover, and thereby conceal-tithe fact thatthe same has been employed, but also the surfaces are rendered ..'more suitable for the reception of fresh coats of paint or varnish, and the duration of the vacuum type for removing the dis- 5 dized, film of paint and varnish. Said nozor life thereof is thereby decidedly prolonged.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate the apparatus employed in carrying out this process,.l igure 1 is a perg spective elevation of a pneumatic apparatus 'for removing the dissolved paint and varnish when in its slush-like condition, and Fig. 2 is a similar View of a pneumatic apparatus solved paint and varnish aforesaid.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a platform or table provided with a curvilinear hood 2, at one end thereof, which hood is provided with a sloping channel 3\at the 7. bottom thereof, below the levehof the surace of said platform 1, said channel being provided at the lowermost end with an outettap 4, adapted to deliver the viscous liquid received by said channel, or trough, Into a waste receptacle 5.

The article or object 7 is placed on the platform 1, as shown, for exam le, a door,

and the nozzle 8, which is provi ed with an elon ated delivery slot 9, and which is preferab flattened as regards its transverse dimensions, in order to admit of the delivery of an through said nozzle in the form of a thin sheet or film, preferably a sheet of eight inches more or less long, is brought iuclose proximity to the li uid mass, such as A, of dissolved paint and varnish, which results from the application of apaint and varnish remover to a dried, z'. e., weathered or oxizle, or film-spreader, is provided with a hollow, tubular handle 10, having a cut-off valve 11 therein, to control the supply of air admitted to said spreader, and vsaid handle is adapted to be coupled with a source of air under high pressure, 'as indicated by the hose, or pipe, 12.

In'Fig. 2, which illustrates the application of a pneumatic process for interior work, the surface 1 to be treated is similarly supplied, or treated, with a paint and varnish remover containing hi hly volatile paint and varnish solvents, or, i desired, other liquid solventsof paint and varnish, as indicated by the reference letter A,'and a vacuum nozzle l4jis applied directly to the dissolved mass of paint and varnish, referablyin actu'al contact therewith.- T ereby the said magma can be drawn or sucked through the elongated slot 15 of the vacuum nozzle 14, lll

and into the tubular. handle 16, provided with a grip 17, when air under high pressure is introduced, through the supply hose 18, into the covered passage or main hose 19, which is coupled to said tubular handle, in the direction shown by the arrow (zb. The liquid thus aspirated or drawn through the main tube or pipe 19, will be forced out of the opposite end thereof in the direction in dieatcd by the arrow wy, and will be delivered into a receptacle 20, to which said pipe is secured by an adjustable collar, or strap, 21, or any other desired manner. As vacuum apparatus have been heretofore constructed, which will work efliciently to produce the desired amount of suction required for this purpose, the apparatus herein employed is not claimed as such, but is merely described to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the same for carrying out the process herein described and claimed, and similarly the type of nozzle indicated in Fig. l isnot claimed, but is merely described to enable one skilled in the art to carry out the process in accordance with the method indicated for such typeof apparatus.

Whilevarious types of removers may be employed for this process wherein the removal ofthe resultant mass of dissolved paint and varnish is accomplished pneumatically, 1 preferably employ a thickened remover having film-forming properties, which contains' a relatively small quantity of wax, as wax-containing removers, when the wax is present in relatively large-quantities, are extremely unsatisfactory for use in the process herein described, for. the reason that, not only is the wax so impervious to the influence of the compressed air applied, either ration of the volatile positively or negatively, it becoming more and more impervious with the forced evapoaint and. varnish solvents, but also, particularly when the pneumatic pressure is positively applied to the mass containing dissolved paint and varnish, there is a tendency for the wax to settle in and clog up the pores of the wood or other surface treated. Such preferred remover consists preferably of pounds of methyl alcohol and 17 pounds of a collodion mixture containin approximatel 925% of solvent, for examp e, ethyl alcoho and ethyl acetate, the latter in relative smallquantities, and (3% of nitro-cellulose, as the hexa-, tetraor di-nitro-celluloses, or other compounds of a similar nature, as acetate of cellulose. To this mixture is'added a second solution consisting, for example, ofone-half pound of beeswax, one-half pound of paraflin and about twenty-fivepoundsof crystallized phenol, the 'said ingredients bein heated at approximatelve'm degrees. cent-1- grade until thoroughly jdi ested and reacted upon by the phenol. If esired, in lieu of- 65 the one-half pound of parafiin, one-quarter upon the the removal of the resulting magma prossavae pound of stearin and one-eighth pound of paraiiin may be substituted. The aforesaid remover, since it contains pyroxolin, Which is an alcohol soluble thickener, in relatively large proportions, and merely one pound of wax, possesses the peculiar property of remaining in liquefied condition for long periods, and in fact appears to become more and more liquefied, when ap ilicd to paint and varnish films and allowe to remain in contact therewith tor extended periods, for example, several hours. The superficial film formed by this mixture is scarcely noticeable, and yet the liquid is so dense that the evaporation of the volatile solvents is re tardcd to an equally great extent as when large amounts of wax, for example, two pounds per gallon, are present in the remover. Moreover, the absence of a substantial film, admits of the ready penetration on a film of compressed air into the liquid, and also admits of the ready flow of the liquid through the vacuum nozzle illustrated in Fig. 2. The said removers are preferably non-aqueous, 2'. 0., they are free from aqueousacid and aqueous-alkaline solvents, as acetic acid and annnoniacal solutions, and the like, which, as commercially known, contain large amounts of water, for example, acetic acid contains commonly from 40 to per cent. of water, and usually the latter amount. Such aqueous-acid and aqueous-alkaline solutions usually consist of relativel non-volatile ingredients, owing to the large amount of water present, and accordingly the factor of evaporation of the paint and varnish remover into which they are introduced would he obviously largely reduced.

The action of the phenol upon the wax, in the removers such. as are herein described, apparently is a chemical conversion, and instead of the gradual solidification of the mass when. allowed to react upon weathered films of paint or varnish, there is a gradual increase in the liquefaction of the mass, and thus the removal thereof in the manner specified is more readily accomplished, particularly by the pneumatically applied film of air under high pressures, as described with reference to the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Moreover, the conversion of the wax by the phenol results in the formation of a compound which has, apparently no deleterious nish, which consists in sub ecting a dried- LOO film thereof to the action of a paint and;

varnish remover, containing relatively small amounts of wax, and consisting principally of highly volatile paint and varnish solvents; ermitting said remover to react film so treated; and then effecting sea-73a duced by said reaction by means of air under suflicient pressure to displace the said magma from the underlying surface which originally served to support the said paint or varnish film treated.

2. The process of removing paint or varnish, which consists in sub ecting a 'dried film thereof to the action of a liquid aint and varnish remover; permitting said remover to react upon the film so treated; and then efi'ecting a sufficient degree of suction in proximity to a portion of the surface of the resulting magma which is produced by said reaction, to se arate said magma fromthe underlying sur ace to which it originally adhered and to induce the flow of said mass through a covered passage which is in communication with a suction-producing means.

3. The process of removing paint or varnish, which consists in sub ecting a dried film of paint or varnish to the action of a paint and varnish remover, containing less than one and one-half pounds of wax per gallon, and containing an alcohol-soluble thickener said remover consisting principally of highly volatile aint and varnishsolvents; permitting said remover to react upon the film so treated; and then elfecting the removal of the resulting magma, produced by said reaction, by means 0 air under sufiicient pressure to dlsplace the said magma from the underlying surface which originally served to support the said paint or varnish film.

4. The process of removingpaint or varnish, which consists in sub ecting a dried film thereof to the action of a liquid paint and varnish remover; permitting said remover to react upon the film so treated until its original identity is destroyed; and then effecting the removal of the resulting magma roduced by said reaction, by inducing a su cient degree of suction in uxtapositlon to a portion of the surface of the magma, to overcome the tendency of said magma to adhere to an underlying surface, whereby the said ma a is separated from the underlying suri a d e which originally served to sup ort the same.

Signed at ontclair in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey this 23d day of February A. D. 1909.

. JOHN M. WILSON.

Witnesses:

W. H. SWENARTON, J. A. WILSON. 

